Family favourites for a true-blue Aussie Christmas

By Alexandra O'Brien | Presented by Foxtel| 1 year ago

Eleven crowd-pleasing classics

Christmas and the holiday season are many things to many people but singing carols, backyard games, beach swims, bingeing on food and TV (or if you're watching The Great Australian Cookbook, both) and driving between relos' homes all typically feature. As December 25 draws near, however, there's one thing that's sure to be on everyone's agenda — food.

From the obligatory Aussie prawns to Granny's secret recipe for trifle, you'll have your pick of the best Australian produce. The hardest part will be deciding what to make.

First of all, you'll need a plan. If you're hosting at your place you’ll need (at least) a starter, main, side and dessert. If you really want to wow your guests, however, consider multiple mains, sides and sweet treats.

As cooking multiple dishes and catering for an army of people can be daunting, Lorraine Elliott from Not Quite Nigella, says don’t be afraid to let other family members help share the load.

"If someone offers to bring something," she says, "let them, even if it's something like seafood. They can go out and buy the seafood and deal with the queues, especially if you need to be in the kitchen cooking."

Lorraine is also a big advocate of planning ahead and being organised to keep stress levels down on the day.

"As well as making the dessert ahead, my top tip is to empty the dishwasher and bins an hour or two before everyone arrives. Then you can throw away things and place items in the dishwasher as you go."

If you're a guest, on the other hand, you simply need to check in with the host and find out what you can bring.

Whatever your role, this collection of Aussie Christmas favourites is guaranteed to please.

Cocktails

Go off with a bang with cocktails on arrival. They're the ultimate way to get everyone in the festive mood, and to toast the season with those near and dear to you.

Beautiful BBQ prawns

It wouldn't be an Aussie Christmas if someone didn’t throw a 'shrimp' on the barbie, would it? With refreshing lemon and parsley, this recipe is a crowd-pleasing starter for your Chrissie soiree.

Traditional turkey

While we might not get a white or cold Christmas here in Australia, that doesn’t mean you have to miss out on a warming roast. For a traditional favourite, a roast turkey is a good choice for your menu.

Glorious glazed ham

It's undeniable — Aussies love their Christmas with a side of ham. The big question will be whether to serve hot or cold. So, why not go for both? Serve hot for the main event on Christmas day, then have cold ham sandwiches on Boxing Day.

Roasted vegetables

No Christmas meal is complete without all of the trimmings. Roasted in goose fat, this is definitely the Grandma-approved way to cook your veg. While these veggies are perfection served hot out of the oven, there's nothing stopping you from serving them at room temperature if you prefer some cooler things for your Christmas spread.

Gravy goodness

Gravy is a must for every Xmas meal. With white wine and thyme in this recipe, it's sure to blow your guests away.

Pudding perfection

It's arguably the piece de resistance of the entire Christmas meal, and this has to be one of the best Christmas pudding recipes around. All that will be left to decide is what to serve it with — ice-cream, cream, brandy sauce or custard. Why not just go with all of the above to be on the safe side? It is Christmas, after all.

"I love pudding," Lorraine reveals, " but it can raise some strong opinions. Pavlova is a popular and crowd-pleasing choice and also suits our warm weather."

If a pavlova is more the thing for your family, there's a great recipe for that here.

For generations, mothers and grandmothers have been passing down their favourite trifle recipes. Why not bring the nostalgia — and smiles all round — to your dinner table by whipping up this old favourite. Granny will be proud as punch.

Roaring rum balls

And old favourite, rum balls are sure to bring a dose of jolly to your dessert spread. Why not serve them with tea and coffee? Just make sure Grandpa doesn't sneak too many.

Marvellous mince tarts

Christmas fruit mince tarts are a festive flavour explosion with every bite. While they look great as an added extra on your dessert table, you can also wrap them in cellophane and attach name tags to use as place settings. Then you have something for guests to take home and enjoy later.